Cape Cod’s fishhook topography makes it a global hotspot for mass strandings by dolphins

Associated Press

The recent stranding of more than 100 dolphins on Cape Cod is the largest such event involving dolphins in U.S. history. The stranding is partly due to the peninsula’s geography which includes gently sloping sand flats, tidal fluctuations and proximity to productive feeding grounds. Those challenges plus the the hook-like shape of the cape itself make Cape Cod a global hotspot for dolphin mass strandings. A final review of data and aerial imagery of the June 28 event revealed that 146 dolphins were stranded. Dolphins strand more frequently along Cape Cod than along any U.S. shoreline.